Overall I've had good luck with USPS. Mostly GA with a few media mail shipments.
I have done over 110 total shipments since I started here and i think all but one were shipped in a reasonable time. The one exception was a box that backtracked the wrong direction from WI to Denver where it sat for at least 3 days before making it's way east where it belonged. The buyer probably could have canceled due to the lateness, but didn't luckily.
It might be an issue at your regional sort hub. When your packages arrive there, does the tracking stop for a few days?
All but 1 of my USPS packages arrived on time over the last 18 months, an extraordinary record. They go in and out from my regional hub right on time... except for 1 package that was scanned in front of me but never showed up in the system, was mysteriously never scanned at the hub and ended up taking a detour halfway across the country before being delivered 1 day late (I still have no idea how on earth that could happen, not happy about that 1 undeserved late defect but I digress...)
As far as packing goes, you need to pack your fragile items well enough to survive being dropped off the roof of your home or kicked across your yard like a football. Don't pack fragile items like Amazon or other megasellers, pack them to survive serious abuse. USPS almost never pays out for damage, unless it is something obvious like being driven over my a truck. They do pay out for lost packages where tracking proves they lost it, though.
Big problems this month in the Southeast. Most mail is being routed through Jacksonville, FL, the place where all mail goes to die - well at least for a week to 10 days. It used to be the fastest route because all smaller Ground Advantage packages coming to PR were automatically put on a plane and flown to PR. So if you have a package that's going from the mid-west to California, they would fly it to PR, then fly it back to California... voila, 3-4 day delivery.
For those of us living in PR it was a good gig, because I could ship from Las Vegas Priority and Ground Advantage on the same day, and often Ground Advantage got here earlier than the Priority. But now we have oil prices skyrocketing due to the Middle East war, and USPS is trying to conserve funds by charging for Priority and taking everything through Jacksonville... which almost means it's being shipped.
Ships depart Jacksonville for PR Monday through Friday, and generally take 4-6 days to get here. When it lands in Catano, that's the Shipping Port. When it lands in Carolina, that's the Airport. Now here's the catch. In order to get the packages on the ship, they need to fill up a 40' container. That's where I suspect some mail is being routed for the purpose of filling up the shipping container regardless of it's final destination. That same mail will eventually be put on a plane and flown back to California. So not only will the mail put on plenty of airline miles, but it also took a cruise to the Caribbean.
They used to scan it on arrival into PR so that we would know where it was and how it got here, but I've noticed lately they are not scanning packages on arrival - it just says In Transit, It's a little thing they are trying to keep quiet.
Ground Advantage has been going OK for me as of late (knock on wood) in terms of speed but the prices are becoming increasingly eye-watering with no end in sight. What a time!
Your shipping charges are too low to make it likely that your packaging meets USPS or any other carrier's requirements for packaging.
USPS is, based on my decades of experience shipping, less likely to damage an inadequately packaged shipment, and unlikely to pay an insurance claim if they do.
Breakables should be double boxed.
Delivery time via USPS is extremely variable. I am in one of the 60% of the POs which had their deliveries to the first sorting center limited to one per day. In spite of that, some of my shipments from NH to California are delivered in 3 business days, while shipments to the midwest take longer. Where in California seems to matter because some of the intermediate sorting centers are black holes.
My handling time is high because lowering buyer expectations is one of my strategic goals. It works for me, your results may differ but I suspect it will not hurt you given what you sell.
Ground Advantage is always slow (particularly in the winter months due to bad road conditions). EBAY estimated delivery is ridiculously optimistic. I viewed one of your items is said delivery would be (April 16-21) and I am in California. There is no way it could possibly reach California in 3 days.
I would change your "handling time" (allow yourself a couple of extra days) so customer will be happy when they package gets delivered sooner than EBAY projected.
simba6
·4 months agoIt is taking longer than it used to.
yuzuha
·4 months agoI'm not seeing that at all. I just had one from DC to OR arrive in three days.
wisconsin88
·4 months agoOverall I've had good luck with USPS. Mostly GA with a few media mail shipments.
I have done over 110 total shipments since I started here and i think all but one were shipped in a reasonable time. The one exception was a box that backtracked the wrong direction from WI to Denver where it sat for at least 3 days before making it's way east where it belonged. The buyer probably could have canceled due to the lateness, but didn't luckily.
sfdreams
OP4 months agoI need to remove this and can’t figure out how! Someone please help me!!
fm2000
·4 months agoIt might be an issue at your regional sort hub. When your packages arrive there, does the tracking stop for a few days?
All but 1 of my USPS packages arrived on time over the last 18 months, an extraordinary record. They go in and out from my regional hub right on time... except for 1 package that was scanned in front of me but never showed up in the system, was mysteriously never scanned at the hub and ended up taking a detour halfway across the country before being delivered 1 day late (I still have no idea how on earth that could happen, not happy about that 1 undeserved late defect but I digress...)
As far as packing goes, you need to pack your fragile items well enough to survive being dropped off the roof of your home or kicked across your yard like a football. Don't pack fragile items like Amazon or other megasellers, pack them to survive serious abuse. USPS almost never pays out for damage, unless it is something obvious like being driven over my a truck. They do pay out for lost packages where tracking proves they lost it, though.
yuzuha
·4 months agoNo problems here. My GA packages are consistently delivered within 2-5 days on average.
moon_silver
·4 months agoBig problems this month in the Southeast. Most mail is being routed through Jacksonville, FL, the place where all mail goes to die - well at least for a week to 10 days. It used to be the fastest route because all smaller Ground Advantage packages coming to PR were automatically put on a plane and flown to PR. So if you have a package that's going from the mid-west to California, they would fly it to PR, then fly it back to California... voila, 3-4 day delivery.
For those of us living in PR it was a good gig, because I could ship from Las Vegas Priority and Ground Advantage on the same day, and often Ground Advantage got here earlier than the Priority. But now we have oil prices skyrocketing due to the Middle East war, and USPS is trying to conserve funds by charging for Priority and taking everything through Jacksonville... which almost means it's being shipped.
Ships depart Jacksonville for PR Monday through Friday, and generally take 4-6 days to get here. When it lands in Catano, that's the Shipping Port. When it lands in Carolina, that's the Airport. Now here's the catch. In order to get the packages on the ship, they need to fill up a 40' container. That's where I suspect some mail is being routed for the purpose of filling up the shipping container regardless of it's final destination. That same mail will eventually be put on a plane and flown back to California. So not only will the mail put on plenty of airline miles, but it also took a cruise to the Caribbean.
They used to scan it on arrival into PR so that we would know where it was and how it got here, but I've noticed lately they are not scanning packages on arrival - it just says In Transit, It's a little thing they are trying to keep quiet.
itsjustasprain
·4 months agoMe too. (This is my buying account.) I cannot remember the last time I ever had a problem with a GA shipment.
dhbookds
·4 months agono problems
simba6
·4 months agoIt has been taking longer. I also have a package " bouncing " around the country yet to be delivered.
meme6253
·4 months agoKnock on wood I have not been having any issues.
books_n_more
·4 months agoGround Advantage has been going OK for me as of late (knock on wood) in terms of speed but the prices are becoming increasingly eye-watering with no end in sight. What a time!
tobaccocardyahoo
·4 months agoYour shipping charges are too low to make it likely that your packaging meets USPS or any other carrier's requirements for packaging.
USPS is, based on my decades of experience shipping, less likely to damage an inadequately packaged shipment, and unlikely to pay an insurance claim if they do.
Breakables should be double boxed.
Delivery time via USPS is extremely variable. I am in one of the 60% of the POs which had their deliveries to the first sorting center limited to one per day. In spite of that, some of my shipments from NH to California are delivered in 3 business days, while shipments to the midwest take longer. Where in California seems to matter because some of the intermediate sorting centers are black holes.
My handling time is high because lowering buyer expectations is one of my strategic goals. It works for me, your results may differ but I suspect it will not hurt you given what you sell.
kibble-net
·4 months agoWhat is your sample size? How many items do you ship per year? Anecdotes are of limited usefulness.
I've only had USPS damage one parcel in 27 years, perhaps my anecdote is equally useless.
As far as delays go, that can happen for many different reasons. Weather, natural disasters, USPS facility reconstruction, and so on and so forth.
There is no carrier that is immune to delays or problems.
caldreamer
·4 months agoGround Advantage is always slow (particularly in the winter months due to bad road conditions). EBAY estimated delivery is ridiculously optimistic. I viewed one of your items is said delivery would be (April 16-21) and I am in California. There is no way it could possibly reach California in 3 days.
I would change your "handling time" (allow yourself a couple of extra days) so customer will be happy when they package gets delivered sooner than EBAY projected.